Electric treadmill

ABSTRACT

An electric treadmill includes a base, vertical posts coupled to the base, a desk with a treading belt, and a lifting and folding device. The lifting and folding device includes a linear actuator disposed on the desk and having a retractable lifting pipe, a lifting unit connected to the desk, a pivotal connection point protruding from the desk, first and second lateral panels, and a fixing stand disposed between the second lateral panels and connected to the lifting pipe, two movable pivotal connection elements disposed at free ends of the first lateral panels, respectively, two linking plates connected to the first lateral panels and a link, two position-limiting elements disposed between the base and the lifting unit, connected to two lateral bars of the base by an axle, and having a slot each, and two guide rods coupled to the first lateral panels and inserted into the slots.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to treadmills, and more particularly, to an electric treadmill which has a desk capable of lifting steadily and can be folded easily.

2. Description of Related Art

A conventional electric treadmill in wide use comprises a base, a desk, a power unit, an elevation unit, a stand, and a dashboard disposed on the stand. When the conventional electric treadmill is in use, the desk not only enables a user to walk thereon, but also allow the user to control the dashboard as needed, for example, to adjust the gradient (angular) lift of the desk. An angular lifting and folding structure of the desk operates while the desk is directly connected to the base. As a result, once a lifting unit lifts, an impact and vibrating force will be generated by the user and directly conveyed to the base, and in consequence the dashboard on the stand vibrates. Hence, users always complain about the aforesaid drawback of the prior art.

Furthermore, to allow a treadmill to be stored easily, a desk of a commercially available treadmill is usually capable of folding. Referring to, Take a typical case as an example, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic views of a folding structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,453, wherein a treadmill 10 comprises a base 11 disposed on a floor, two vertical posts 12 extending upward from the base 11, and a desk 14 pivotally connected to the inner sides of the two vertical posts 12 by means of two pivotal connection elements 13. The desk 14 has a first section portion 14A and a second section portion 14B which are arranged oppositely.

To fold the desk 14, the user exerts an upward force on the second section portion 14B to cause the first section portion 14A of the desk 14 to rotate about the two pivotal connection elements 13. Hence, the desks is lifted and turned from an operating position to a folded position. Although the treadmill 10 has the desk 14 which is capable of folding and stacking, it has the following drawbacks:

1. The desk 14 can only be pivotally connected when it is positioned proximate to the end surface 14C. Also, there is no connection element between the desk 14 and the base 11. As a result, once the desk 14 is lifted and turned, it will exert an inertial force on the vertical posts 12 and the base 11, and thus the base 11 will shake readily.

2. With a user running on the desk 14, the two pivotal connection elements 13 bear the total weight of the user and the desk 14, and thus the two pivotal connection elements 13 are likely to fatigue and deform, thereby compromising the turning and folding capability of the desk 14 in the long term.

Afterward, although Taiwan patent 1234471 improves on U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,453 in terms of the aforesaid drawbacks thereof, its folding structure is flawed with a plethora of constituent elements and a complicated assembly process, and thus it adds to the manufacturing costs to the detriment of commercial competition. This leaves much room for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide an electric treadmill which has a stable desk and has a simple and practical folding mechanism.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an electric treadmill, comprising: a base having two lateral bars spaced apart from each other and each having a first end portion and a second end portion which are disposed oppositely; vertical posts coupled to the base and extending upward; a desk comprising two lateral panels, at least one fixing rod, and a treading belt, the lateral panels being spaced apart from each other and each having a first section portion and a second section portion which are disposed oppositely, the at least one fixing rod being fixedly coupled between the lateral panels to form a frame, and the treading belt having front and rear ends positioned within the frame and moving along a closed path; and a lifting and folding device comprising a linear actuator, a lifting unit, two movable pivotal connection elements, two linking plates, two position-limiting elements, and two guide rods, the linear actuator being disposed on the desk and having a lifting pipe capable of extending and retracting lengthwise, the lifting unit having a front end pivotally connected to the desk, a pivotal connection point protruding from the front of the desk, a first lateral panel and a second lateral panel which are spaced apart from each other, and a fixing stand fixedly disposed between the second lateral panels and connected to the lifting pipe of the linear actuator such that the lifting unit is guided by the lifting pipe of the linear actuator to perform gradient-related and elevation angle-related motion, the two movable pivotal connection elements being disposed at free ends at terminal sections of the first lateral panels of the lifting unit, respectively, the two linking plates each having an end connected to a corresponding one of the first lateral panels and positioned proximate to the movable pivotal connection elements, the two linking plates each having another end fixedly connected to the free end of the link, the two position-limiting elements being disposed between an inner side of the base and the lifting unit, the position-limiting elements each having an end pivotally connected to two lateral bars of the base by means of an axle, the position-limiting elements having a slot each, and the two guide rods each having an end fixedly coupled to a point of a corresponding one of the first lateral panels and each having another end inserted into the slot of a corresponding one of the position-limiting elements such that the guide rods slide axially relative to the slots under an applied force.

Accordingly, the electric treadmill of the present invention is advantageously characterized by a desk that manifests a high degree of stability and a treadmill folding mechanism that is simple and practical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of the state of operation of a treadmill disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,453;

FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) is a lateral view of the folded treadmill of U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,453;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an electric treadmill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic lateral view of the electric treadmill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of folding the electric treadmill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are schematic views of lifting the electric treadmill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 through FIG. 10 are schematic views of folding the electric treadmill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The aforesaid and other technical contents, features, and advantages of the electric treadmill of the present invention are illustrated herein with preferred embodiments and the accompany drawings. Words pertaining to relative positions and used herein, such as “top” and “bottom”, are interpreted from a user's view of angle. Like elements described herein are denoted with the same reference numeral.

Referring to FIG. 3 through FIG. 5, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electric treadmill 2 comprises: a base 20 which rests on a supporting surface (such as the floor); vertical posts 30 disposed at the front end of the base 20 and extending upward; gauge units 32 disposed at the top ends of the vertical posts 30, respectively; a desk 40; and a treading board 50 and a lifting and folding device 60 which are connected to the desk 40, wherein the lifting and folding device 60 is coupled between the base 20 and the desk 40.

The base 20 comprises two lateral bars 21 spaced apart from each other, two connection bars 22 connected between the two lateral bars 21, and two positioning units 23 fixedly disposed at the front ends of two lateral bars 21, respectively, and having an axial hole 231 each. Furthermore, conventional components (not shown), such as a pneumatic cylinder and an extendable/retractable rod assembly, are disposed at the rear end of the base 20. Also, the base 20 defines a receiving space.

A link 28 is provided in the form of an elongate rod and has a top surface with two pads 281 thereon. The link 28 is flanked by and connected to two positioning elements 29. An end of each of the positioning elements 29 is fixedly connected to the free end of the link 28. Another end of each of the positioning elements 29 is pivotally connected to the axial hole 231 of each of the positioning units 23.

The front section of the desk 40 is disposed deep in the receiving space of the base 20 and connected to the treading board 50. The desk 40 comprises two lateral panels 41, a plurality of fixing rods 42, and a treading belt 44. The lateral panels 41 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance and are parallel to each other. The plurality of fixing rods 42 is fixedly disposed between the two lateral panels 41 to form a frame. The front and rear ends of the treading belt 44 are positioned within the frame. The treading belt 44 moves along a closed path.

In practice, the electric treadmill of the present invention further comprises an electric motor (not shown) disposed at the front end of the desk 40 and adapted to drive the treading belt 44 to operate.

The lifting and folding device 60 comprises a linear actuator 61 (also known as “elevation motor”) which is disposed on the desk 40 and has a lifting pipe 611 capable of extending and retracting lengthwise, a lifting unit 63 with a front end pivotally connected to the desk 40, a pivotal connection point P protruding from the front of the desk 40, a first lateral panel 631 and a second lateral panel which are spaced apart from each other, and a fixing stand 633 fixedly disposed between the second lateral panels. The fixing stand 633 is connected to the lifting pipe 611 of the linear actuator 61, such that the lifting unit 63 is guided by the lifting pipe 611 of the linear actuator 61 to perform gradient-related (elevation angle-related) motion. Two movable pivotal connection elements (rollers) 65 are disposed at free ends at the terminal sections of the first lateral panels 631 of the lifting unit 63, respectively. One end of each of two linking plates 67 is connected to the middle section of a corresponding one of the first lateral panels 631, and thus is positioned proximate to the rollers 65. The other end of each of the linking plates 67 is fixedly connected to the free end of the link 28. Two position-limiting elements 70 are disposed between the inner side of the base 20 and the lifting unit 63. The position-limiting elements 70 are slender and each have one end pivotally connected to two lateral bars 21 of the base 20 by means of an axle 71. The position-limiting elements 70 have a slot 72 each. Two guide rods 75 each have one end fixedly coupled to a point of a corresponding one of the first lateral panels 631, and each have the other end inserted into the slot 72 of a corresponding one of the position-limiting elements 70, such that the guide rods 75 slide axially relative to the slots 72 under an applied force.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, in the first embodiment, at the point in time when the desk 40 or the treading board 50 starts to perform angular lift-related motion, the pivotal connection point p protruding from the front of the desk 40 functions as a pivotal point, such that the downward force applied by the linear actuator 61 to the lifting unit 63 is directly conveyed to the two rollers 65. The two rollers 65 abut directly against a supporting surface, such as the floor, and are not linked to the base 20, and thus the stability and security of the angular (gradient) adjustment performed by the lifting unit 63 is enhanced greatly. Referring to FIG. 6, at this point in time, the linear actuator 61 gives a thrust to bring about an included angle between the lifting unit 63 and the base 20 and thereby effectuate a change of gradient. The two linking plates 67 and the two guide rods 75 move relative to the link 28 and the slots 72 of the position-limiting elements 70 under the downward thrust of the linear actuator 61, such that the link 28 slide forward slightly, whereas the position-limiting elements 70 rotate and move upward gradually. FIG. 7 shows the upper limit of the gradient of the lifting unit 63.

Referring to FIG. 8 through FIG. 10, in the first embodiment, at the point in time when the desk 40 or the treading board 50 starts to perform folding motion, the axial hole 231 of each of the positioning units 23 of the base 20 functions as the rotational point for folding. In a folding process, the center of mass of the linear actuator 61 switches from the front in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 to the rear of the pivotal point, as shown in FIG. 10. The slots 72 of the position-limiting elements 70 prevent the desk 40 from overrunning forward or upward. Hence, the slots 72 of the position-limiting elements 70 ensure that the desk 40 folds safely.

In conclusion, the electric treadmill of the present invention is advantageously characterized by the lifting unit 63 of the lifting and folding device 60, the two rollers 65 operating in conjunction with the linking plates 67, and the position-limiting elements 70 operating in conjunction with the guide rods 75, to thereby provide a desk that manifests a high degree of stability and a folding mechanism that is simple and practical.

The present invention is disclosed above by two preferred embodiments. However, persons skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments are illustrative of the present invention only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent changes and modifications made to the aforesaid embodiments should fall within the scope of the present invention. 

1. An electric treadmill, comprising: a base having two lateral bars spaced apart from each other and each having a first end portion and a second end portion which are disposed oppositely, and two positioning units fixedly disposed at the front ends of two lateral bars, respectively, and having an axial hole each; vertical posts coupled to the base and extending upward; a desk comprising two lateral panels, at least one fixing rod, and a treading belt, the lateral panels being spaced apart from each other and each having a first section portion and a second section portion which are disposed oppositely, the at least one fixing rod being fixedly coupled between the lateral panels to form a frame, and the treading belt having front and rear ends positioned within the frame and moving along a closed path; and a lifting and folding device comprising a linear actuator, a lifting unit, two movable pivotal connection elements, two linking plates, a link, two position-limiting elements, and two guide rods, the linear actuator being disposed on the desk and having a lifting pipe capable of extending and retracting lengthwise, the lifting unit having a front end pivotally connected to the desk, a pivotal connection point protruding from the front of the desk, a first lateral panel and a second lateral panel which are spaced apart from each other, and a fixing stand fixedly disposed between the second lateral panels and connected to the lifting pipe of the linear actuator such that the lifting unit is guided by the lifting pipe of the linear actuator to perform gradient-related and elevation angle-related motion, the two movable pivotal connection elements being disposed at free ends at terminal sections of the first lateral panels of the lifting unit, respectively, the two linking plates each having an end connected to a corresponding one of the first lateral panels and positioned proximate to the movable pivotal connection elements, the two linking plates each having another end fixedly connected to the free end of the link, the two position-limiting elements being disposed between an inner side of the base and the lifting unit, the position-limiting elements each having an end pivotally connected to two lateral bars of the base by means of an axle, the position-limiting elements having a slot each, and the two guide rods each having an end fixedly coupled to a point of a corresponding one of the first lateral panels and each having another end inserted into the slot of a corresponding one of the position-limiting elements such that the guide rods slide axially relative to the slots under an applied force.
 2. The electric treadmill of claim 1, wherein the slot of each of the position-limiting elements has an upper starting point and a lower starting point, such that each of the guide rods can undergo position-limited motion between the upper starting point and the lower starting point of the slot.
 3. The electric treadmill of claim 1, wherein the link provided in form of an elongate rod, having a top surface with two pads thereon.
 4. The electric treadmill of claim 3, the link is flanked by and connected to two positioning elements, an end of each of the positioning elements is fixedly connected to the free end of the link, another end of each of the positioning elements is pivotally connected to the axial hole of each of the positioning units. 